Film: Aspiring local filmmakers impress with short films at ciNE65 2021

The 2021 ciNE65 short film competition came to a rousing close this week with Senior Minister of State for Defence Mr Zaqy Mohamad presenting the awards to the winners at the awards ceremony held at The Grand Cathay. “Siti” achieved top honours, clinching the ciNE65 Movie Makers Award for its gripping story of Joyce and her domestic helper, Siti, as they reminisce about Joyce’s grandmother through the items left behind by her following her passing. The director, Jun Chong, also won the exclusive opportunity to understudy a Director of a feature film by mm2 Entertainment.  

“Knock, Knock!” and “Siti” took home the Best Film Award for the Student and Open categories respectively. The Favourite Film for the Audience Choice Awards went to “Ala-mask”. The Inter-school Challenge trophy was awarded to Temasek Polytechnic with the highest number of quality entries submitted in the Student Category.

This season’s ciNE65 short film competition called for filmmakers to create short films based on the theme ‘Stronger, Together’. In his opening address, Mr Zaqy said, “In spite of the disruptions caused by Covid-19, our young filmmakers adapted very quickly and we continued with the ciNE65 activities that were planned, such as online workshops and seminars.”

“Even though safe management measures have made conventional in-person discussions and collaboration harder for all of us, our young filmmakers worked together to produce many excellent films that highlight our people’s resilience. In that respect, we can say that all our ciNE65 filmmakers have exemplified the spirit of being “Stronger Together”. Well done!”

– Senior Minister of State for Defence Mr Zaqy Mohamad

Gary Goh, General Manager of mm2 Entertainment, and one of the ciNE65 judges, said, “ciNE65 has established itself as an important avenue where aspiring filmmakers can forge industry relations, develop their unique voices, and to tell their Singapore stories through short films. It is important to continue nurturing local film talents who can help strengthen our Singaporean identity through their stories. We look forward to seeing more budding filmmakers participate in the future seasons of ciNE65 as well.” 

Tay Ping Hui, Actor, Director, Screenwriter and panel judge for ciNE65 2021, said, “The quality of entries this season have been impressive overall. We received a wide repertoire of submissions, stories of diverse subject matters and styles, suggesting that a greater number of young filmmakers are taking bolder steps to discover their unique voices. A significant number of entries also focused on heartening stories of people in Singapore who have found the strength in one another to overcome adversity. ciNE65 truly showcases the vibrancy of the local filmmaking scene.”

The ciNE65 festival 2021 ran from 23rd to 25th July 2021 at the iWERKS Theatre and The Grand Cathay.